Nana time.................

Hi there............just wanted to say hello and let everyone know I am having a wonderful time on vacation visiting my Son, DIL and the most perfect grandsons ever!

 

Just a Reminder!

Where hope grows, miracles blossom.

— Elna Rae

Hi blogging friends..................just a reminder if you haven't already checked out all the Pet's on Quilts entries at Quilting Gallery the show begins today! Just click on the photo below to go there..............

    

and while you are there I would appreciate your vote for

Josh's Kitty Quilt:

More info on the quilt is on my post from Wednesday...........thank you for going to the show and thanks for your vote!

Please Vote for This!

There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will truly have defeated age.

— Sophia Loren

Hi there.............I am posting today to ask you to vote for "Josh's Kitty Quilt".  This is one of my favorite quilts........the one I made for my son and that features our two Kitties, Lucy and Tinkerbell in the center block.  I have entered it in Quilting Gallery's Pet Quilts Quilter Show.  I would appreciate your vote beginning at Quilting Gallery on Friday, (August 15).  Click here!

 Miss Lucy Matilda was the very first cat that ever owned me......yes, I admit it. Before Lucy I didn't really like cats....and, when I got her,  it was only so she could keep the field mice population down at the country house where I was living.

I explained to Miss Lucy that her job was to kill the mice and she would be allowed in the house every so often.......(this, I explained while Lucy was doing figure 8's around my legs)........eventually Lucy made her way to my lap, onto the furniture, and definitely into my heart......she was with me for 19 years before she crossed Rainbow bridge.............She is represented by the two gold cats on the quilt......

The two gray cats on the quilt are in honor of Miss Tinkerbell....who we "rescued" from a water drain at the grocery store......well, to be honest....when we stopped to "save" her......Tinkerbell had already hitched a ride under our car and came home with us......we are happy to still have Miss Tinker with us at the ripe young age of 15.......

 

The quilt is an adaptation of the  "Trip around the World" design using 5 inch charms throughout, excepting the large center block with the tessellating kitties, their tails curling into a snails trail block. In keeping with the theme,I added 4 more snails trails blocks.

 The quilt measures about 60x80 (give or take) 

Thanks for your vote!

Vote Here

 

Winter Spice Flannel Curves update and a Pink Flamingo!

"Dreams are renewable. No matter what our age or condition, there are still untapped possibilities within us and new beauty waiting to be born." --Dale E. Turner

Wow! Those Crazy Curve templates are WOW!..........after folding the 16 FQs I was able to cut 4 layers at once in less than 15 minutes!  After the initial layout, I photographed it and then made a few changes and here is what I came up with.....I love how photographing a project gives one a different perspective as far as balancing the lights and darks.......

 




Here it is photographed from a different side.........

 I began sewing the curved patches and decided I'm not going to sew them with wrong sides together where the seams will fray as part of my rag quilt but instead will sew those patches normally since they require a quarter inch seam and I'm a little concerned that they might come apart after I clip them.  The seams press down nicely without clipping so I think I feel better doing a regular seam instead.   I will use a larger seam when I sew the 7 inch resulting squares to the backing and make those seams the rag quilt seams.........

Check out the photo below:

When my Sis and I visit Mom and Dad we usually stop at the Humane Society Thrift Shop to see if they have any quilting fabric.....which, quite often, they do...........well except for the last time I was there but I did see this little bundle of pre-cut low loft batting.  I bought it for a dollar and then put it away in my sewing room.....and completely forgot about it...........well, until today when I was looking for some pattern instructions I had mislaid.....would you believe that they are exactly the size I need for the 7 inch blocks I am making for this quilt?  I needed 64 pieces of these batting squares and I counted 61 in this bundle.....is that weird wonderful or what???

Mr. Pink Flamingo is now a new addition to my little patio....thanks to him I am now officially a "little ole lady" and ready to retire to Florida.....hahaha...........well the retiring won't be happening soon and the going to Florida would only be in terms of a vacation... and the "little ole lady" stage....um well....we will talk about that later.............hope you all have a wonderful weekend.  I will just say TTFN and talk to you next time..........


 

Meet Stevie and the beginning of Winter Spice Flannel Curves!

 "Try to be like the turtle - at ease in your own shell".   --Bill Copeland




This is the newest addition to our turtle family...........meet Stevie....(we are not sure whether she is a Stephanie or whether he is a Steve.....lol).....but Stevie definitely loves tomatoes and blueberries~

 Stevie is smaller than our other turtle, Donnie, and so far they are not very sociable with each other.....(possibly they are both the same gender?)......and Stevie seems to be more inquisitive and a little more active than Donnie.....

 ......and like most turtles, Stevie loves the sprinklers!

 

 So now that I have finished introducing you to our new turtle let me introduce you to an old project.....
Almost a year ago I decided to make a quilt called "Fuzzy Flannel Curves......here is the link to that post for any of you who would like to read more....(CLICK HERE)

 So I've had the flannel fabric for this project for a year but didn't have the crazy curve template I wanted to use with it until my birthday this year (thanks again, Irene), so now I am ready!  This will be my very first RAG quilt! My flannel is by Maywood Studios, "On a Winter Night"  and "Spice Market"by Exclusively Quilter.....so I will call this quilt "Winter Spice Flannel Curves"......haha...how is that for not so original???

 This is a FQ project....I will fold each FQ I use twice to make 4 layers and cut all 4 layers with the template but sew them back together using 4 different fabrics. The top will need 16 different FQs and I will use the same fabric lines for the back, although I am not using the templates for the backing.

.....so stay tuned....I'm on my way upstairs to begin cutting!

I'll talk to you next time....TaTa for now.............

 

Lovely Gifts early for my Birthday!

Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.

— Robert Brault

Lucky me!  I got some early Birthday gifts! 

My Sis got home from her visit to the Texas Hill Country and she came home bearing gifts!

  First look at this neat little notebook cover she made for me.......partially quilted, and partially machine embroidery........and all of it filled with love! She even included the notebook for me!

 The front has a rooster in the middle of  a crazy quilt patch and the back has a kitty cat in the middle of a crazy quilt patch and it has pockets everywhere!

 

But my Sis didn't stop there.......she knew I wanted a 7 inch Crazy Curves template to start my "Fuzzy Flannel Curves" quilt with so she gave the template to me for my Birthday together with a new "Welcome" Heart hanger for my sewing room.....there is a little hook inside the heart where one of the little figures can hang depending on the season.....you can see a flag there now and the set includes an egg for Easter, a ghost for Halloween, an Angel for Christmas, a snowman for winter, a pumpkin, and so on......

I love all my gifts but I love my Sis more.........

OK, you would think that was enough spoiling for me but my Sons surprised me with this:

It's a long story but the gist of it is that I had ordered a regular screen Dell computer through one of my sons, who works in the business.....but he talked to his brother and together they upgraded it to a touchscreen Dell for my birthday!  I'll say it again......I love this gift but I love my sons more...........

It's back to work tonight and tomorrow so I'm going to head upstairs to see what I can get done before it's time for work.......Ta Ta for now......talk to you next time......

 

Beatitudes Table Cover Finished!

A pessimist is one who makes difficulties of his opportunities and an optimist is one who makes opportunities of his difficulties.

— Harry S. Truman

The Beatitudes Table Cover is done and ready to deliver to my Sister!

I added some feather patterns with my embroidery machine for the quilting and also did some meandering.  The binding was a little tricky because of those strange inside corners but it sits nice on the table..............

 

 

I like that the cover can be turned to allow the longer points to hang away from the chairs..........

Yes it was finished yesterday.......still in July so my label is correct! haha

 

Tomorrow I have to attend an in-service for work but I am going to post some wonderful gifts I got this week...........but it's time for bed now so Ta-Ta for now.............